The competition, which is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine, is now in its sixth year and has received over 2,500 entries. Photo: Centre of the Heart Nebula by Ivan Eder (Hungary). Situated 7500 light years away in the “W”-shaped constellation of Cassiopeia, the Heart Nebula is a vast region of glowing gas, energized by a cluster of young stars at its centre. The image depicts the central region, where dust clouds are being eroded and moulded into rugged shapes by the searing cosmic radiation. (Photo by Ivan Eder)

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station experiences months of darkness. The sun dips below the horizon on March 21, after which follows several weeks of twilight before complete darkness results. Photo taken on June 25, 2009. (National Science Foundation/Jeremy Johnson)

Visitors take photos of Fu Bao, a giant panda, at Everland amusement park in Yongin, south of Seoul, South Korea, 25 February 2024. The panda will be displayed to the public until 03 March, before returning to China in early April. The female panda, which was born to giant panda Ai Bao and her partner, Le Bao, at the Everland amusement park in Yongin, south of Seoul, in 2020, will be returned to China under an international agreement. (Photo by Yonhap/EPA)

“Double head vulture”. On the day of windy days during raptors migration some people in my country start to catch these tired raptors, so in this day we go to photograph some raptors and we saw these tow tired vultures, so we start to drag them away from the hunters until they reach a good hidden place, to make them safe until they start a new journey. Photo location: Kuwait. (Photo and caption by Mohd Khorshed/National Geographic Photo Contest)

These snaps show a series of crafty critters camouflaged out of view. Many adventurous animals love to stand out from a crowd, but there are times when they need to blend in a bit more too. Photo: Tall story – can you spot the giraffe? (Photo by Caters News)

Artist C. K. Wilde creates intricate collage compositions using pieces of paper currency from all over the world. His collages have referenced subjects ranging from space exploration, to mythology, religion, slavery, ecology, the history of warfare, the history of money, and art history. Photo: “Great Crash”. (Photo by C. K. Wilde)

The first seal pup to be born this season at a major colony of grey seals on the Farne Islands sits beside its mother on Brownsman Island, England on September 30, 2015. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Images)

Tony the ten-year-old tawny owl tucks himself on December 8, 2025 into a Christmas tree at the Scottish Owl Centre, West Lothian, where he was hatched and raised. (Photo by Katielee Arrowsmith/South West News Service)